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Topic: Sandy Burgin (Read 4452 times)

Age: 53Bus DriverLouisville, KYTribe: JalapaoA country girl through and through, Sandy Burgin grew up and still lives in Kentucky, where she takes pride in being the state champion of the School Bus Rodeo. A night owl by occupation, Sandy works the graveyard shift transporting construction workers to their work sites. As a professional driver for 30 years, she isn't a stranger to cat calls, especially since she is the one doing it. On one occasion she called out to a tall thin man, commenting on his physique when, to her surprise, he turned around and was clearly a priest!

She likes to unwind by crocheting or listening to country, oldies or some good old fashioned rock and roll. Her penchant for reading "do it yourself" magazines in addition to her fishing skills just might make her a valuable member of her tribe.

Sandy describes herself as funny and fearless and can’t stand mean or greedy people. She is looking forward to interacting with new and interesting people and is thrilled at the opportunity to win a million dollars. With an outdoorsy nature (as reflected by her mouse tattoo) and a kooky personality, in combination with her determination to win, Sandy feels that she has what it takes to be the next SURVIVOR.

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

I was just going by her opening comment on the vid..."I drive a school bus"

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"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

I'm Sandy's neice She was a school bus driver for years and years and years. Now she drives a bus for a pretty big company here and their employees, but not a city bus.

Hope that helps.

Jenn

Hi Jenn!! Thanks for sharing and to RFF!

I like what I've seen, and do hope she'll stick around, she already has friends here.

Please come back and let us know what you think about how she is edited on the show, if you would? We would love to know what y'all think!!

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"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

“I Thought They Would Take the Strong Over the Beauty, and They Didn’t” – RealityNewsOnline’s Exclusive Interview with Survivor: Tocantins’ Sandy

by David Bloomberg -- 03/06/2009

Sandy was certainly a character on Survivor, but was she too much of a character for her tribemates? Did she know she was annoying them? And what part of her strategy involved trying to put something in her tribemates’ water in order to make them sick?! Sandy reveals all this and more, right here.

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Sandy, and thanks for taking the time to talk to RealityNewsOnline! I have to start by asking – have you figured out what a pace is?

Sandy: Yes, I know what a pace is. I’m kind of a character and love to tease and have fun. I actually knew what a pace was. They played that up pretty good and I liked it.

RNO: Do you feel you were close to finding it?

Sandy: I really do – I felt like I was really close at finding the idol. In the note, though, that I kept sticking in my bra and kept swimming with it, it got faded and I didn’t actually [notice] the part of the note where it said the idol was only good the first time we went to Tribal Council. I didn’t really realize that, the hyper person I am – and I am hyper, everybody knows that – I read the note really fast and didn’t let that part sink in.

RNO: Did you keep looking for it after the first Tribal Council?

Sandy: I did because my strategy was going to be once I found it, I could use it on another player. It would be a real idol, not one I fabricated.

RNO: What do you mean, you could use it?

Sandy: Convincing somebody else that it was – that I had the idol and either giving it to somebody and tricking them or using it to keep them from voting me out of the game.

RNO: Going back to the beginning, what was your strategy coming into the game?

Sandy: My strategy coming into the game was to play middle of the road and my excitement got the best of me. I should have knocked it down about five or six notches instead of two or three. I tend to get on people’s nerves. I get on my own nerves! I’m not a fly under the radar kind of the girl. Everybody that knows me knows that I’m not that kind of person. What I planned on doing actually didn’t work so much (laughs). Once you’re in the game, oh my gosh, it’s a minute by minute thing. It’s a game from the get-go.

RNO: You talked in Tribal Council about being a mother figure. Was that part of your strategy?

Sandy: I thought I could be a little mother hen with the tribe I had; I thought I could play that card pretty well. But these are kids that are living on their own – they don’t need that so much or they wouldn’t be away from home. I wanted to use that but these weren’t the type of tribemates that I could use it on. When Spencer got hurt and cut his finger, I held his hand the whole time because I am a mama and I was pretty protective about that.

RNO: Did you know going to Tribal Council that you would be leaving?

Sandy: Yes, I did. I actually took everything with me. Actually, I don’t want to say yes I did – I thought it would be the case. I was really hoping that they were sticking with the original plan with Taj and J.T. and Stephen when we were in the water, we were going to vote Sydney out. As you saw in the challenges, I really kicked butt. Whatever position you put me in, I will do you all good, and I did. I thought Sydney getting that last puzzle piece down, it took forever. I thought they would take the strong over the beauty, and they didn’t.

RNO: Any idea why Taj voted for Joe?

Sandy: I can tell you this – she told me she would never write my name down on a piece of paper, and I thought that was so cool. I was really hoping that to be the truth and it was.

CBS P.R. Guy Brett: The voting videos are available on CBS.com now.

Sandy: I saw those this morning and I had tears in my eyes because each of my tribe members were so kind – they had nothing bad to say when they voted. All of my tribemates were so kind and I really did appreciate that and I was honored that they would respect me enough to be very nice – and they were, every one of them.

RNO: What did you do in terms of strategy that we didn’t get to see?

Sandy: Oh my god. I had thought initially that I’d beat ‘em with the brains. If there’s a way I could get different types of water in their bottles, I could get them sick, it would be a great strategy. I was trying to get water from other places and thinking I could give them belly aches enough to not to kill ‘em but to make ‘em sick enough like Jerry.

I also looked for critters I could gather up. There was a big boa constrictor in the tree and I made it a point to let them know. I was trying to find spiders to put some of those around camp. It’s awful, ain’t it!

RNO: What about plotting and scheming type of strategy?

Sandy: The only thing I plotted was the night I thought I might be leaving, and I was really going towards Sydney and I worked really hard to get there and I didn’t want to leave this game. I pushed hard trying to get them to keep me and it just didn’t work. Strategically, I didn’t do real good, obviously.

RNO: Who were you closest to in the game?

Sandy: I don’t know, honey, we all got along so well. I think Stephen – I loved him to death. He was totally out of his element and I loved it. He’s never fished and I was so mesmerized by him, he is a great guy. But for the most part, we were really a happy tribe.

RNO: Do you regret looking for the idol on the first day instead of building camp?

Sandy: No. No, I do not. I thought I was playing the game and the game is all about me. I would never change that – I would do the exact same thing.

RNO: Earlier you mentioned that you tend to get on people’s nerves. Did you realize you were annoying some of your tribemates?

Sandy: No. in all honesty, because I get carried away. When I’m acting silly, I had no clue I was annoying them. Joe and Sydney said I would repeat things, and that is the truth. A lot of times I do, but sometimes I don’t think they hear me the first time. With this tribe, with a 30-year difference, it was hard to acclimate to what they were talking about. I didn’t think at the time I was annoying, but now I know I was!

RNO: Do you think that is the reason you went, or were there other causes?

Sandy: I don’t think they voted me out at all because I was annoying or because they had anything against me. A couple of them wanted to go with Sydney, a couple wanted to go with me. It was a toss-up and I lost it. It’s like heads or tails, 50/50.

RNO: What was the most eye-opening thing you saw on TV that you didn’t know about while you were there?

Sandy: Probably Joe, when I seen the video of him this morning talking about how agitated he got at me over the palm fronds. When I saw that, I was kind of shocked because we were discussing how to make this bed, I was like do it this way and they said another way, and after five minutes, I said do it your way. I didn’t know he was so upset [about the debate].

RNO: Do you have anything else you’d like to tell us about your time on Survivor?

Sandy: I’m just so glad I had the chance to take part in this game and that I was really blessed with the tribe that I was on and for the most part we were really happy campers. I was just blessed to have been chosen to participate in this game.

Last night on Survivor: Tocantins Sandy Burgin, the 53 year old bus driver from Louisville, Kentucky, was voted off after she clashed with teammate Sydney Wheeler. The boys of the tribe preferred to keep the flirtatious and scantily clad model over the tribe mom. I was disappointed to see her go. She brought something unique to the cast not only because she was older and of a different mould but also because she brought some humor.

I spoke with Sandy earlier today about why she likes it when people think she's a little crazy, how she intended her comment about being a sex kitten and why she thinks being voted off in the first five minutes prolonged her stay in the game. She told me why she never found the Hidden Immunity Idol, how Spencer's ambiguous sexuality played into Sydney's flirtations and why she receives so many obscene emails. She rambled on until she got gonged by CBS - audible on the podcast - and she almost got yanked off the stage by a cane. You've gotta love Sandy

Hi, this is Henry with BuddyTV. I'm here with Sandy who got kicked off last night from Survivor: Tocantins. How are you today, Sandy?

I'm doin' wonderful, honey. Thanks for ask'n.

Last night you had that great quote about JT leaving Timbera a bag of beans – that he was leaving them with ammunition to fight back with. Timbera did fight back, they won the Immunity Challenge and you were sent home. Do you think JT's mistake cost you the game?

I don't know if it actually cost me the game but what I tried to explain to them was that you're in this thing to win and you have this other tribe that has this ammunition. If you're going to go in and they've got fifty guns why not take all fifty of them? Why leave them anything to shoot back at you with. They just did things the opposite of the way I would have actually done it. Hence the age difference of thirty years. You just think different. They were looking ahead in the game like when they merge and they wanted to make sure they had food and so forth but they could have actually worn them out fast by them not having any food. See? So that was my take on it.

And not as many of them would have made the merge then.

Yeah.

Yeah. So if JT, Stephen and Taj had voted with you last night you would have stayed. They all seemed to like you. Why didn't that work?

Well, I was shocked because Taj made the statement in the water that I was stronger than Sydney, which I was, at least as far as the challenges was concerned. And she had brought that up herself and of course I'm going to agree. JT and Stephen said that they felt like I was strong too. Well then Stephan made the remark – something about, well, [Sydney] is nice to look at. Well, eye candy doesn't win challenges and everything. I hated that they kept the beauty factor over the strength factor cause I felt that my strength was above and beyond the call of duty any time that we were in a challenge.

Yeah, she seems to have a pull with all of the guys but it also seemed like she had a showmance with Joe. Is she flirting with everyone? Or does she have something specifically with Joe? Do my categories not apply?

Well, she equally spread the love. She did. She really did, other than with Spencer, and of course we found out after the game that he was gay. But I think she kind of sensed in the game that she was. So she played it hard and if I had her body and her looks I probably would have done the same thing. So I sure can't hinder her for that strategy at all and it worked. It obviously worked. So I hate that Joe was dead set on keeping her. Stephen and JT went along with him instead of with me and Taj as far as the vote.

So who voted for Joe?

It was Taj. Yup. It was Taj because she had actually told me that she would never write my name down on a piece of parchment, so I was really impressed with that agreement, or that thing that she had told me. She said “I won't ever write your name down” and she didn't so I was pretty impressed with that. I really was.

That does seem like the kind of classy move that could help her out later on.

Sure.

Jeff commented in the first episode, when you got to stay and you found out that you were taking a helicopter to camp, that you were missing an important opportunity to bond with the rest of the group. If you'd been with the group during the hike do you think it would have made any difference?

I think it might have actually hurt me because Carolina kind of sealed her fate by her talking too much or I'm not ever sure. But my not being with um' – obviously it didn't hurt me. So I was glad and everything, and then when I celebrated the fact that I was gonna get the helicopter ride, and Jeff said “I wouldn't be celebrate'n. They just voted you out” and I said “I'm not celebrating that. I'm celebrating what you just told me – that I don't have to make the four hour hike.” So I was really excited about that but then like I said once they came to camp they said “We just wrote down the obvious and the obvious was the old lady.” But they had no clue that I was as strong as strong as I was. So I got that second chance to make a first impression – which I didn't think you get in life. I didn't think you get a second chance to make a first impression. But I proved that statement to be wrong.

You did. It seemed like you had a series of clues that you could have followed to find the immunity idol but after the first day we never saw you looking. Did you stop looking?

No, I didn't. I continued to look and then I had forgotten a little piece of the note that actually kind of got old in the water. It actually got kind of blurried and I couldn't read it that well. But it actually said that the idol was only good for the first vote the first time that we actually went to Tribal Council. So it actually wouldn't have done me any good to use it as far as keeping me in the game. But if I had found it – and I actually did continue to look for it – had I found it my plan was to actually use it in another manner, to say “I have the Idol.” They wouldn't have known I couldn't use it. Or to actually gave it to someone saying “Hey, this'll secure your spot if you intend to get voted out.” But yeah, I did continue to look for it for a day or so.

That's really smart. So you don't think they removed it after the first Tribal Council?

I believe that was the case because they said “Would you believe us when we say it was only good for the first Tribal Council?” And I was like “Well, I guess I would, but on the same token I'd still like to look for it.” And then I was told it was gone. So it wudn't there to be found.

I suspect you would have voted anyone out the first week so long as it wasn't you. I would have. But in an ideal world would you have voted out Carolina? She just seems so cheerful.

No, but the fact of the matter was that was what everybody was gonna do and I went along with the majority of the tribe. And obviously everyone there was seven votes for her and one for me. So I went with the majority.

We saw on the show that she made some pointed suggestions but it didn't seem like they were that rude, and it seemed like she gave some specifics for how they might do it, and like she wanted to be part of the solution. What do you think it was that upset them so much?

Well, she was constantly making so many moves that it was unreal. She was trying to form alliances with each individual instead of getting a couple of people together and trying to form a three way or whatever the case might be. And then her constant persistence on “We need to do this and we need to do that. We need to clean!” How in God's name do you clean outdoors? You know? You can't – you can't do that. And it was like ‘Oh this is ridiculous.' So like I said, she really sealed her own fate and I was glad she did because it allowed me to be in the game for four weeks instead of the one.

You were certainly known for having some good soundbytes. That was sort of your trademark. Could you explain “People look at you like you're crazy and you like it that way.” Why do you like it that way?

Well I'm not saying that I really like for them to look at me like I'm a crazy person because I'm not a crazy person. I'm cray-zee. Like seize the moment and there idn't too much I won't do and if you're going to parachute I'm gonna do it with ya! If you're gonna race cars I wanna do it! I'm crazy – that kind of crazy. I'm definitely of sound mind. Obviously! And I'm a pretty smart person. But most people perceive me as crazy because of my actions.

Then you had another line that got a few comments on our message boards. You said that you're a sex kitten? What was that about?

Well, we woke up in the morning and Spencer had actually slept up against me. I usually slept on the end but Spencer was on the end and we kinda snuggle bunnied or whatever. And when I woke up it's just something that came to mind. And I'm pretty good it speaking what's on my mind and I said “I'm a sexy kitten. Ain't I?” because I just figured I looked really cute that morn'n in all honesty. It wudn't sarcastic at all. I got a lot of comments from people around here about that too and everybody loved it, they did, they really loved that remark. They really did, in fact. So that cracked me up. But I was myself in this game. I try to be myself and sometimes that's not a good thing because I can be a little hyper. I need to knock it down a couple notches, which I think I probably did. But I should have knocked it down maybe five or six. I get on my own nerves so I know I get on other people's nerves. But I'm just a happy-go-lucky person, high on life. I do seize the moment and that's the way I've done it all my life. I really have.

My nickname – both my daughters, ever since they were itty bitty, have called me hot tail cause I never sit still. Imagine when I first got a computer and my nickname was hot tail, boy did I get some wild a** messages. Cause I knew noth'n about the computer. Hot tail was like – man, I coulda had a sex site and made millions a' dollars prolly but I didn't seize that moment, obviously. But my kids even call me hot tail cause I never sit still and I'm always on the go. Even at 53 I'm always on the go. I'm riding dirt bikes and stuff with my grandson. We have a lot of fun.

That's great: The Internet just pretty much robbed everyone's innocence. Sandy, it was a pleasure and thanks for talking with us.

After arriving in the Brazillian highlands and gathering supplies for her stay in Tocantins, the 53-year-old bus driver from Louisville, KY was unanimously voted by her younger Jalapao tribemates to "not make the trek" with the rest of the tribe in a surprise "first impression vote" because of her older age. However, after learning in a second twist that she had not been eliminated from the competition -- and won a helicopter ride to her camp instead -- Sandy was able earn the respect of many of her tribemates and survive for 12 days before her ouster during the broadcast of last night's episode on CBS.

On Friday, Sandy talked to Reality TV World about how she felt she was able to bond with her tribemates following the "First impression vote," why she was so adament in trying to take all of Timbira's beans during the Jalapaos camp raid, and why she is much more like Sydney Wheeler than one may have thought.

Reality TV World: How much faith did you put into that pre-Tribal Council discussion with [James "JT" Thomas Jr.], [Stephen Fishbach] and [ Tamara "Taj" Johnson-George] where they said you had outperformed Sydney?

Sandy: Well you know, I was really taking it to heart when we were having the discussion in the water because Taj brought he fact up that I was a lot stronger than Sydney, which is true, and I was really hoping that JT and Stephen would jump on the bandwagon. And at the time it felt like that was really gonna be the case.

Reality TV World: You said in your exit statement that you had "stayed around a lot longer than [you] thought [you were] going to." Was that doubt [you had] because you were older than the rest of your tribe, or because of that "First Impression vote?" What was it?

Sandy: It was because of being the older lady and stuff. And I knew that after... they'd voted me out [I was like] "Oh man, what am I gonna do to change all this." And it hurt because I knew they [would vote] for the older people. But I did get a second chance to make a first impression, just with my strength in the challenges and stuff. So I was really proud of that.

Reality TV World: Actually, going back to that "First Impressions vote" at the beginning. Based on the show, you really seemed to believe that you were going to be going home -- was that really the case, or did you sense there was a second twist coming?

Sandy: Um, I knew I wasn't going home. they had convinced me throughout the day before Tribal, they said "You're not going anywhere." And in my heart I knew they were telling me the truth and that [Carolina Eastwood] had basically sealed her own fate. I was so excited, enough that I didn't take my belongings because I just knew that I wasn't going home. I was just so excited.

Reality TV World: What about just that First Impression vote itself? Did you think you were gone then or did you think something else was happening?

Sandy: Oh! I'm sorry! Yes. I thought that I was going home and I was hurt so much in my innards -- I misunderstood what you were asking.

Reality TV World: Oh that's alright, no problem...

Sandy: (continuing) But I really thought I was actually leaving, that I was out of the game itself, and oh my, it just crushed my heart. And so of course once [Survivor host Jeff Probst] asked me how I felt I said I was pissed, and I was.

But I was more hurt than I was pissed. I was really hurt thinking I was going home.

Reality TV World: After you arrived at the camp [ahead of everyone else] in that helicopter, you decided to look for the hidden Immunity Idol instead of building camp. Did you ever consider not looking for the Idol or was it a quick decision for you?

Sandy: No, I was in it to play the game, and I think what you have to do is protect number one, which is yourself, and the Idol was my protection. Building the camp was not going to impress them in any way.

(Pauses)

It might have, but it wasn't gonna assure me a spot in the game, ok? So as far as the assurance, the Idol would have and if I had it to do over I would do the exact same thing.

Reality TV World: Okay, and that's even after seeing [Sierra Reed] having chosen [to build camp] and it seemed to win her some points with her tribe?

Sandy: Uh-huh.

Reality TV World: Okay. At the Tribal Council, you said that you felt you had found your place in the tribe and had been able to erase that initial vote. Do you still feel that way, and if so what did you do to help find your place in the tribe and earn their respect?

Sandy: By being really strong in the challenges. I really put forth the best foot forward and I really participated hard and I worked hard in the challenges, so therefore it really gave them some respect for the older lady. It was like "Gosh you really are a strong person," and that's what really changed the persona about me. It was like "She's not just the 53-year-old woman. She's a woman that's in this game to play and she's strong at playing it physically."

Reality TV World: We know [Spencer Duhm] seemed to have no inkling about it, but did you know anything about the "dual tribe alliance" that was Taj -- and eventually Stephen -- were forming while you were on the show? Did anything make you suspicious?

Sandy: No, no. Not nary an inkling about that at all. None whatsoever. No.

Reality TV World: The preview for next week seemed to show Timbira figuring out what [Brendan Synnott] was doing, but did anyone on Jalapao get a little suspicious with Taj going back to Exile three times in a row?

Sandy: No, no we weren't suspicious at all. The only reason we kept sending the same person -- Brendan -- was to assure us of who would have the Idol if in fact he had found it. And as far as Taj going, it just goes that he picked her, you know the luck of the draw. We didn't ever have any bad feelings about her being there.

Reality TV World: It seemed like your tribe had a strong reaction to Taj's revelation that she was married to former NFL player Eddie George and [didn't need the prize] money, but unlike what has happened in Survivor before, most people didn't seem to see that as a good reason to vote her off immediately -- do you know why that was the case?

Sandy: This is my perception, and this is what I think. I said that by her revealing that she was married to Eddie George, a former Heisman Trophy winner, there were a lot of sports guys on [the show]. All four of these guys love sports, well Stephen didn't know too much about football but [Joe Dowdle], JT and Spencer did, and let me tell you what, I said they'll keep her in the game because of Eddie George, not because of her, and I felt in my heart that was gonna be the case.

Reality TV World: Based on the show, you seemed to be the only one that was upset with JT and Joe's decision to leave Timbira with beans. Why hadn't the entire tribe talked about what it wanted to take from them before JT and Joe went over to the other tribe?

Sandy: Well we didn't get a chance to really discuss it. We knew we wanted them to get the beans because we knew they had 'em. But even if I suggested it they wouldn't have done it because their theory was "Well when there's a merge we want to make sure we have food and all that." But my theory on it is if you have another battle or war to fight with people and they've got 50 guns, why are you gonna leave them 10 guns to shoot back at you. I thought that they should've taken all the ammunition, but that's just the 30-year-difference between my mind thoughts and theirs.

Reality TV World: Okay because my next question was going to be did you understand what their reasoning where they didn't want, if [the tribes] got reshuffled that they would get...

Sandy: It was because they thought about, which may be batter on their part, they're thinking about the future. I'm thinking about the game at the time. And that might be a downfall for me but I'm thinking about what keeps me in the game right now, and it woulda really brought down Timbira fast had they took all of their food. I mean, it would've brought them down fast because those elements are brutal, and with no food you get no nourishment and it would've been excellent [for our tribe]. But they chose to leave 'em some beans and I didn't understand it and I still don't.

Reality TV World: How did you guys decide who was going to go on the raid?

Sandy: We decided JP and Joe because they held the most weight and that's how it came, "We'll just let you two guys go."

I would've loved to have gone.

Reality TV World: When we talked to Carolina, she said that JT was basically running your tribe the first few days. Was that still the case when you got voted off on Day 12?

Sandy: I'm not gonna say that he was running the tribe as much as he was just... there isn't anything JT can't do. He can build, he has a fence company. He built the shelter, with the help of everybody else, but he was like the fabricator.

JT is great, he can fish. He's a man of many talents and so everybody saw that in him and was like "We need to keep him around because he keeps us going and he's good at what he does."

So I don't know that I would say much that he's the leader of the tribe as much as an insight saying "This guy's good. He keeps things going well."

Reality TV World: Were you aware of any alliances in your tribe by the time you got voted off?

Sandy: Yeah. Sydney and Joe were aligned pretty good, and then JT and Stephen was the thickest because opposites attract. Because there's JT, a farm boy, and Steven's a city boy from New York and that was the most prevalent alliance that I saw.

They were literally together... they were almost like Siamese twins, so Stephen did real well picking JT.

Reality TV World: Did you think you had any alliances?

Sandy: I had an alliance with Taj and I'm glad that she told me she would never write my name down, [and] she didn't, so that I was impressed with, that she held true to her word.

And I really felt that I was in there with JT and Stephen but they ended up going with the beauty over the strength.

Reality TV World: Yeah, and actually, regarding Sydney, it seemed like you didn't really like her trying to build alliances by flirting with all the guys too much. Could you comment about that a little?

Sandy: Well Sydney, she had the beauty and the brawn and the brain and the body and everything to do what she did. If I had the same I woulda done the same. I woulda probably been worse, I woulda been all up in it and I woulda been in way worse than her. She used it well, and she made the quote "I wear the boxer shorts because I had jeans." But she had the boxer shorts over her bathing suit. It's like "Well. you can run around in your bathing suit." Yeah, she played it well, she's playing that body, and then those looks, well. But she can.

Reality TV World: Were you surprised when Taj came out and said she didn't really care about her flirting with the guys?

Sandy: No, no, it didn't surprise me because Taj pretty much knew her own strength. Whether she was aware of it or not, I [saw] it a mile away, whenever she disclosed the fact that she's married to Eddie George and I thought "Well these guys will not get rid of her because of who she's married to. So pretty much, no, that didn't surprise me.

Reality TV World: Before the Tribal Council vote, you said that the vote's results would likely leave "a person or two upset pending the outcome." Were you talking about Joe and JT or someone else?

Sandy: Well I was talking about myself and Sydney because we were the two on the chopping block. That's the two I was really speaking of.

Reality TV World: What surprised you the most about the competition?

Sandy: Well, the fact, I guess, that I was on a tribe with (Pauses) Everybody on my tribe was younger than my two daughters -- I've got a 33 and a 36-year-old. And it's hard, I was on the outside of the circle for most of the time because i couldn't relate to their movies and their talking and all the music they listen to and so forth...

That was hard for me, very, very hard. So if I could've buddied up in there and said "Oh my God, what about this new song that came out or whatever." Well, we didn't have anything in common. So that was really hard.

Reality TV World: Is there anything that wasn't shown on the show that you wished had made it in? Sandy: Yeah there's two things. One, I cleaned the fish, I filleted the fish that we actually caught, and I had to do it by the fire because [it was in the evening] and we catch it in the afternoon and so it was dark by the time they would make it back to the camp site and I filleted all the fish and I really wish they woulda shown that last night.

And then the other thing was [on yesterday's show], at 7AM in the morning before the [Reward Challenge] and I actually told them, I said "I had a dream last night that we had this challenge, it was really brutal, and they sent two members of our tribe got to raid the other team."

Yeah, I did that [in the morning] before we even actually went and participated in the really rough challenge where two of our guys went and raided [the other tribe]. I just wish they woulda showed that because it was a dream that came true. (Laughs)

Reality TV World: Who would you like to see win the season? In your exit statement you seemed to be pulling for one of your tribemates.

Sandy: Oh, Stephen, Definitely. I think that in the game of Survivor it's about somebody that's in a game in an element that's totally out of their realm, and Stephen is number one on my list. That's who I'm pulling for, lock, stock and barrel. And I think that he and JT will do a wonderful job together, in all honesty, and I really hope that they look at the whole picture and say okay, "JP's a cattle rancher and he's used to the majority of the elements that are here in Brazil, so Stephen really should win the million dollars."

Reality TV World: How were you cast for the show?

Sandy: I flew out to Seattle last year in May for an open audition and casting call, and from there it was like a snowball effect.

When the two tribes arrived in Brazil, Jeff Probst told them they needed to vote one person off immediately. Sandy was the person Jalapao selected. “It was awful, it hurt my feelings and it pissed me off,” the sassy Louisville, Kentucky, native said. “I actually thought I was leaving the game, and that’s what crushed me so bad. I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’ve gone through all of this and I’m not going to get to do anything.’”

But little did she know that it was simply a twist. She was actually voted off from walking four hours to camp. Instead she got a helicopter ride and when she arrived at Jalapao first, she was given a clue to the whereabouts of a hidden Immunity Idol. “Oh my God in heaven, I searched a lot before the tribe actually got there. Since I had gotten there via helicopter, I looked for a long time on the wrong beach ’cause it said, ‘Your biggest beach.’ Well hell, I hadn’t ventured around the island enough to find a bigger beach than the one that was there right next to me. I looked for quite a long time.”

What’s A Pace?

But she had a tough time finding the Idol because it seemed she couldn’t determine what a pace is. “Of course I know what a pace is,” Sandy said. “I knew what a pace was at that time, they just didn’t let you guys know. They wanted all of y’all to think that I was silly. I was being silly when I looked up and said, ‘Pace Gods, now tell me what a pace is.’ Because I was doing a little bit of acting there, but they never come back to let you guys know that this is one smart chick. She’s from Kentucky, she knows what a pace is.”

After failing to find the Idol, her tribe lost the first Immunity Challenge and Sandy thought she was doomed — at least for a while until Carolina opened her mouth. “Oh I knew it was Carolina,” Sandy said. “I didn’t even take my stuff — anything that I possessed to Tribal Council because I knew it was her. It was signed, sealed and delivered. She kind of sealed her own fate in everything — wanting to clean all the time around camp. It’s like, ‘How in God’s name do you clean outside? Do you push dirt from one side to the other?’ I was so thrilled, you don’t even know, because the mark on my back right on the get-go, I knew I’d probably be doomed at the first Tribal Council and it just ended up turning around and it was great.”

Snugglin’ With Spencer

Because she wasn’t voted off in that first Tribal Council, Sandy was given more opportunities to snuggle up with Spencer who is the youngest contestant in Survivor history.”He was the only one that would snuggle bunny with me,” Sandy said. “Since I turn like a rotisserie chicken — when I sleep I just turn all night long just like I’m cooking. So there wasn’t too many of them who wanted to sleep up next to me. But, Spencer, he did.”

But Spencer, according to Sandy, is a much more dynamic personality than just a cuddle bunny. “Number 1, he’s a Survivor literally eat-up fanatic. He’s watched it since he’s been 10 years old. I can fathom him seeing each episode at least four or five times. He can tell you the name of every contestant, where they live and probably what kind of toilet paper they use. But his youth came out when he said, ‘I miss my iPod’ and all that stuff — that whiny, crying stuff. You’d see the youth when it came to that. More of us, we might miss a family member or something, but he was missing more of the material stuff.”

Her Pick To Win

Although she really enjoyed Spencer’s company, she’s rooting for another person to win the game. “Stephen is from the city — totally out of his element. I hope he wins the game. He did great at teaming up with JT because opposites attract. And Stephen and JT have got to be like 360 — I mean they’re total opposites. I love the fact that he got up in there with JT and said, ‘I want to learn about fishing — I want to learn everything.’ And it was really cool, he caught his first fish ever, so Stephen is a great guy. I think he and JT will go real far. They’re the team to beat, there you go, that’s what I believe. That alliance there is so thick, it’s unbelievable. I describe them as Siamese twins — you do not see one without the other.”

Sandy Vs. Sydney

But one person at Jalapao became her apparent enemy who stood in the way of her survival — Sydney. “Sydney and I really didn’t have a relationship at all really. She was with the guys most of the time, hanging around them, or on them or whatever. … The beauty and the body. I don’t know why they didn’t go with strength over the beauty and the body. That’s not going to get you wins at challenges, you got to have strength like I had. I have no clue. I hate it, but that’s the way the tribe voted. Mentally I think that I was more wiser. I really felt I was more wiser. Like the raid at the other camp. If they’d of sent me on the raid, I would’ve took all of the ammunition. There’s no way I would’ve left them anything to shoot back at me. I would’ve took every piece of food that they had versus the ones that went and said, ‘Oh we left them a little bit in case there’s a merge or whatever.’ No, you need to play the game today and that’s all your guaranteed is today. I would’ve took all their food.”

Sandy had called the food, “Fartin’ beans,” and just in case you were wondering, she did say that after eating them she got a tad gassy.

As for Sydney, she says the flirting is going on much deeper than the TV shows. “She’s flirting with all of them, it’s not just Joe. She’s playing JT and Stephen. She is right in the middle of all of them guys and everything that they do. If I had a body like hers, I would use it to the max, too. In fact I might be worse. That body and that face is not gonna keep her in that game. It might take her a little ways, but it aint gonna take her far.”

Even though she had her differences with Sydney, she says that life at Jalapao was great. “At Jalapao was the happiest campers you would ever want to see. We really were. We were happy and content like 99 percent of the time. The only time you would ever see any strain on our face whatsoever was when we were faced with going to Tribal Council. Other than that we were laughing and cutting up and swimmin’ and fishin’ and doing things just all the time. It was a great tribe.”

Back To Real Life

Sandy said her stint on Survivor was the first time she had ever been out of the country. But when it was all over with, she was ready to return to the United States. “There’s no place like home,” Sandy said. “I’m like Dorothy. You can just call me Dorothy, there’s no place like home. As much as I loved going to Brazil and the experience and what I did being on Survivor, it was definitely brutal. The elements were unreal.”

Since the show started, Sandy said she is getting recognized by all sorts of people. “Since I’ve at least got to be on the show for like four weeks, everybody’s recognizing me here in Louisville. They’re real receptive. Cashiers will come from behind the counter to hug me and since I’m a pretty affectionate person, I hug ‘em right back. The funniest statement that’s been said to me thus far, a lady walked up to me the other day and said, ‘Oh my God, do you know who you are?’ That’s the funniest statement. I love it,” she laughed.

And it was the thoughts of home that she said helped carry her through the game. “Missing my girls and my grandsons. I missed them terribly so finally I just put them out of my head and focused on children of St. Jude’s Hospital thinking that they couldn’t just go up to the desk and say, ‘OK, I quit. I don’t want to have cancer anymore.’ And that’s what kept me in the game, kept me focused.”

An Accurate Portrayal

Her outspoken personality was very heavily showcased throughout the season so far, and Sandy said everything was pretty accurate. “For the most part, yeah probably. I’m a nervous-type person. I’m kind of hyper and crazy in a good sense — not mentally. I seize the moment in anything I do. I love adventure. If they think that’s being crazy, that’s cool. So I must be a pretty crazy gal.” But after watching it, she said that maybe she should have chilled out just a bit. “I probably would’ve toned it down five or six notches instead of two or three. I am who I am and I kind of kept my same persona. I have a lot of fun in doing everything that I do. I’m overexuberant at times so I think that if I had been a little bit more calmer, it would’ve been better, but I was myself and that’s the way it was. I think that I would’ve definitely be a lot calmer, maybe.”

Sandy said there is definitely one thing she would change about her experience on Survivor. “Hell yeah, the vote last night!”